Filmed myself to look a bit at my technique, as I've never really had anybody to instruct me. Lessons learned:Need to stretch out my back a bit when I come upNeed to make sure that my knees don't fall in

But I'm pretty happy with the depth of the squat. This was the last set of three.

_________________-----------------------------I like Spanish bikes and cars. Riding an Orbea Orca and a Seat Ibiza.

From this angle and without seeing your feet I would say they look ok. It would also seem you are using a high bar position? And please tell me you are in solid soled shoes, proper lifting shoes or Chucks (or the like)?

Certainly a hell of a lot better than a lot of what I see people do and call it a "squat". If you don't mind feeling the burn you can always post at the Starting Strength forums. Excellent advice and resources, albeit blunt and brutal at times I love it. Also more experienced and knowledgable than me in the finer points of lifting.

_________________"Physiology is all just propaganda and lies... all waiting to be disproven by the next study.""I'm not a real doctor; But I am a real worm; I am an actual worm." - TMBG

From this angle and without seeing your feet I would say they look ok. It would also seem you are using a high bar position? And please tell me you are in solid soled shoes, proper lifting shoes or Chucks (or the like)?

Certainly a hell of a lot better than a lot of what I see people do and call it a "squat". If you don't mind feeling the burn you can always post at the Starting Strength forums. Excellent advice and resources, albeit blunt and brutal at times I love it. Also more experienced and knowledgable than me in the finer points of lifting.

Using Chucks, so it's all good

_________________-----------------------------I like Spanish bikes and cars. Riding an Orbea Orca and a Seat Ibiza.

@ Kermit. Chucks Kermit if your knees are caving a bit then check stance, toes out and really try to keep the knees out. Also I can't see your head to see if your spine stays neutral. But still a good weight for an enduro!

@ Rick. Yeah I know you can really pick things to death trying to get "perfect" form but certainly when you start getting to "heavy" (being bodyweight+) then aiming for really, really good form is a good idea as if things f&@# up at this weight then it will be a world of hurt.

_________________"Physiology is all just propaganda and lies... all waiting to be disproven by the next study.""I'm not a real doctor; But I am a real worm; I am an actual worm." - TMBG

Well done, good squats. I would say you need to push your bum out a bit as your back looks a bit to straight at some points.It also looks like your back is twisting a bit towards the end of your squat. Keep the movement as smooth as you can. The bar has to rest nice and easy on your body so you only have to think about a good movement. Good luck with your training .

Squats are dangerous if you don't have good form. I wouldn't even attempt to do squats at an intensified weight unless I knew that my form was 100% safe and proper.

Anything done with weights are dangerous if you don't have good form. And no one should ever start out by doing 3x3 when it comes to weightlifting. Like anything else exercise related, you should start out slowly and gradually increase the weight as you feel the joints can keep up with it.

With that being said - squats are relatively easy to get started with if you just read a bit up on it.

_________________-----------------------------I like Spanish bikes and cars. Riding an Orbea Orca and a Seat Ibiza.

I believe very strongly in increasing the lactate threshold of core muscles. I always use a heart rate monitor for this training.

I believe in skipping, sit ups, hovers, and half depth push ups. I believe in doing these exercises fast and try to do > 30 min of each exercise per week in training.

I like doing intervals of 2.5 mins on, 0.5 mins off, and monitor recovery rates also. I think it would be better doing longer intervals, but I can’t concentrate that long.

I think boxing on the heavy bag is also a great to increase the lactate threshold of core muscles, but I tend to bulk up in the shoulders more than I would like. Also, my hands get sore with lots of heavy bag work, and I also have arthritic pain in my hands, so that complicates things.

I found training for running 10km events increased my core strength a lot, but the injuries from running messed up my cycling training, so I won’t run again.

I like to experiment using a stair climbing machine, and have tried carrying hand weights whilst doing so. I like doing sprints on the stair climbing machine. If I could find a staircase long enough, I’d use a staircase.

Nice squats, good form! One point though, maybe this is what you mean by "Need to stretch out my back a bit when I come up" - your hips never really hit full extension, you've always got a forward lean. Not a massive problem, and not made easier by back squat bar position, but it's good to work your glutes over their full range particularly since this provides a full stretch to the hip flexors, and, if you move onto power exercises, the last few degrees of extension are really critical to getting max upward speed! Maybe try: stretch/rolling on a ball your hip flexors briefly during the warm-up; trying front squats instead; make a noticeable acceleration into the last portion of your lift, so you hit max hip extension quite fast.

A tip on back position, before you start the set "drop your balls between your knees". Think about this and it will set back position. This is pretty good though, you aren't going to hurt yourself squatting like that.You seem to be like me, you have a flat lower back, ie not much of an s curve in your spine. It's a classic cyclist back shape though so don't sweat it.

Maybe film again from further back, one set 45 degree in front and one 45 degree behind

I love riding my bike and i can bench over 200lbs and can climb pretty well as i have climbed with a pro team while they were training at alp de huez . Its very important to know that there is no impact involved in cycling and if you want to stay fit and healthy then resistance is a must, especially as you get older.The pro riders life is a short one in terms of the time as a paid cyclist and i would say to anyone that going for a run and doing some resistance work will only be of great benefit to yourself .If you happen to be a pro cyclist then your goals are different and sometimes as in a lot of pro sports there can be a price to pay in terms of health in later years. If anyone out there has done nothing but ride a bike for the last year or so ,then go and kick a soccer ball around and see how much it will hurt your legs and you will get an idea of how weak you have become in some areas of your so called strongest and most used muscle group .

Just out of curiosity, what was your average speed climbing at alp de huez, also the watt consumption?

Good squats and mostly good feedback so far. You're doing good keeping aware of your knees to avoid them buckling in - its a common occurrence for people new to squatting as well as people with an improper stance. There no "right" spacing for your feet as it will all work something different - however, its crucial that your knee cap and your toes are pointing in the same place. If your toes are pointed too far out this will cause your knees to buckle in an unsafe way.You may arch your lower back a bit more as people have mentioned - if you feel kinda dumb and like your poking your bum way out - you're doing it right. This is a small detail though, your form is pretty solid. A couple tips, if you'd like, just for giggles; try to keep your midsection tight throughout your range of motion and if you find ever find yourself sticking at the bottom of your Rep, try pushing your elbows forward as you drive up.

Filmed myself to look a bit at my technique, as I've never really had anybody to instruct me.

Overall looks very good. Depth looks quite deep but not extreme.

Tips:

1. At the top, try to keep an ever so slight bend in your knees to maintain constant tension on the muscles. Better strength gains.

2. Slow down the eccentric phase of the exercise (do over 3 secs instead of 1) for better strength gains (note: you might have to reduce the weight that you're lifting for this - world of pain sort of stuff. Leg trembling goodness!). (Int Journal of Sports Medicine (2009) 30[3]:200-204 and British Journal of Sports Medicine. 43:556-568)

Props to all whom have commented on the squats, I was sure someone would have said "don't go to parallel" or other rubbish.

@Illuminate, any research you are immediately aware of regarding a focus on the concentric phase and how this relates to the application of power? Like starting the squat from a low rack position?

I have discussed this with a few people as to the potential benefits in terms of it application to cycling especially given the lack of eccentric in a normal pedalling, especially on something like a standing start. Most think that it would be good as an assistance or programmed into a more "power" phase. Thoughts?

_________________"Physiology is all just propaganda and lies... all waiting to be disproven by the next study.""I'm not a real doctor; But I am a real worm; I am an actual worm." - TMBG

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